Affinity: A Salvation Society Novel

by Harlow Layne

  Pulling back abruptly, Abbi’s eyes were as big as saucers. “Jenner,” my name on her lips was whisper quiet, “you don’t need to go to such drastic measures.”

  “I feel like I do so that you’ll believe me. Trust me, if I had a problem, I would have been doing everything in my power to drink and find drugs these last couple of days.”

  “I’m sorry I hurt you, but I needed time alone to think, and I knew if you were around, I wouldn’t be able to think for myself.”

  “I understand. It doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt when you and Alex shut me out. It would be different if we were at home, but here . . . ” I pulled her back against my chest. “I was stuck being isolated by my own friends.”

  And I still had Alex to contend with. Just because Abbi seemed to have forgiven me for not telling her didn’t mean Alex would.

  “As much as I hate to break this up, I think you should talk to Alex.” It was as if she’d read my mind.

  Resting my cheek to the top of her head, I asked. “Do you think she’ll forgive me?”

  “I can’t say. While it’s been nice getting to know her, we aren’t close.”

  I heard the ‘like you are’ without her saying it. I’d known Alex since before she even knew Luke, and I should’ve known if she’d be willing to forgive me, eventually.

  “Do you want me to take you inside? Then hopefully, I can get Alex alone and try to explain to her why I didn’t tell her.”

  Her hand started to rub up and down my back. It didn’t give me any hope for my upcoming face-off with Alex if Abbi was trying to soothe me.

  “That would be nice. Their house is big, and I’m exhausted from getting around all day.”

  I stood and then swept her off the chair and into my arms. “You could have asked for help, you know?”

  “Sometimes, I can be stubborn.” She laughed.

  Abbi being stubborn reminded me of our first few days after getting married. Even though she drove me crazy, she also had me wild about her even when I wasn’t ready to admit it to myself. Holding her tight, I headed up the stairs and straight to the room we were sharing. Carefully, I sat Abbi on the bed before pulling back. Her hand shot out and wrapped around my wrist.

  My brows furrowed with worry. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?”

  “When you’re done talking to Alex, come back to me. We can snuggle and watch some TV.” She bit her bottom lip as she fiddled with the edge of the comforter.

  “Are you saying I can sleep in bed with you tonight?” I’d been relegated the floor since we got here. It was a good thing Paul stayed clear because he would have wondered what the hell was up with me being laid out on the floor with only a thin blanket to keep me warm.

  “Yes.” She pulled on me, and I came willingly. We were only a hair's breadth apart, as she said, “I didn’t like being apart from you either.” Eliminating the space between us, she caught my bottom lip between her teeth and nibbled for only a moment. “Go, I’ll be here waiting for you when you get back.”

  I didn’t want to leave Abbi, but I knew I needed to try and make things right with Alex. Or at least try. Heading straight for the kitchen, I found Alex right where I thought she would be. She was always in the kitchen, and tonight was no exception. I watched for a moment as she put away all the leftovers from the feast she had prepared for her Fourth of July party.

  “Do you need any help?”

  Alex looked over her shoulder before she placed a container in the refrigerator. “I’m good, but you can sit and keep me company.”

  “Where’s Luke and Mason?” I inquired. I didn’t want Mason running in while I was trying to explain myself.

  “Mason went to spend the night with Ben, and Taylor will bring him home sometime tomorrow. Where’s Abbi?”

  “Resting.” I clasped my hands out in front of me on the island. “Did Luke talk to you?”

  “A little bit. I listened to what he had to say, and then I waited for you.” When she turned around to face me, her eyes were filled with tears, and I knew if she was letting me see them, I’d hurt her something fierce.

  “I wish I could hug you right now. You have no idea how much I hate myself for causing you even an ounce of pain. I didn’t keep it from you to hurt you.”

  “Then, why did you? Because you know that I would accept you no matter what.” Her face fell, and she covered it with her hands.

  “Because I’m stupid and didn’t want you to be disappointed in me like I know you are. It was stupid of me. More than stupid to try coke, and I can’t tell you how much I wish I hadn’t been so weak in that moment. I just wanted to know why she gave up the life she had with me. You know how much it destroyed me when everything came out.”

  Leaning her front into the counter, Alex looked up at me, and a single tear slid down her cheek. “I do, and I wish you would have let me be there for you. I would have been right by your side if I had an inkling of what you were going through.”

  “There was no doubt, but I knew you couldn’t pick up your life for me. Mason is more important than I am.”

  “Don’t say that. You’re my friend, and I will always do everything in my power to do what I can for you. If I couldn’t have been there, I would have been on the phone with you morning, noon, and night if you would have let me in.”

  “I’m sorry, Alex. I can’t express to you how sorry I am that I didn’t tell you. Once I fell, I fell hard, and I was so ashamed of myself for letting her get to me the way she did. It’s not that I didn’t trust you with my secret. It’s that I didn’t want to see or hear the disappointment. I couldn’t handle it, but I promise you just as I promised myself back then and Abbi tonight that I will never do drugs again. And I won’t drink to help alleviate myself of any problems. I will never walk down that road again, and if I ever even think about it, I’ll reach out.”

  “Trust me when I say I know those feelings of wanting to get lost in a substance. Decker has made me feel that way more times than I can count, so I do understand.” I watched as she sank against the island as she thought back of her life with her ex-husband. “Promise me right now that if you ever think about doing drugs again, you’ll talk to Abbi or me.”

  Walking around the counter, I stopped in front of her. “I’m going to hug you, okay?”

  Alex’s big blue eyes were full of happiness as she wrapped her arms around me. Enfolding her in my arms, I held her tightly, relishing the fact she let me hug her when I knew she was still upset. Kissing the top of her head, I swore to her, “If I ever have the need, I will talk to you and Abbi. I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you.”

  “I know,” she choked out.

  Releasing her, I stood back and kept her hand in mine. “Thank you for caring and for having us here.”

  “It’s my pleasure to be your friend. You don’t give yourself enough credit. Forget about Poppy and be happy with Abbi. Be the man you were when I met you.”

  “I’m trying. Abbi’s helping.”

  Alex’s eyes lit up as she squealed. “I know, and I’m so happy for you.” Placing her hands on my chest, Alex playfully pushed me away. “Go be with your new wife and make up.”

  I took a step back. “Are we okay?”

  “Don’t worry about us. We’re good, but don’t be surprised when I’m at your house every week.”

  I shook my head as I started to walk backward. “You know you’re always welcome.”

  Walking out of the kitchen, I saw Luke standing outside on the deck and went out there for a few minutes. “Hey, man.”

  His gaze went to the window. “Did everything go okay?”

  Clapping him on the back, I cleared the emotion from my throat. “Thank you for talking to her and getting her open to listening to me.”

  “Of course, of course.”

  “You should probably get in there. She was emotional and let me hug her, so she probably needs you,” I tried to explain.

  This time it was Luke who clapped me on the back. “Have a good night.
”

  “You too,” I answered back, already on my way to Abbi, the person who had changed me so much in such a short amount of time.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Abbi

  Looking down at my phone for a nonexistent text I hadn’t received, I closed my eyes and prayed Jenner would get here before the doctor started to cut my cast off. The last eight weeks with my brother around had been the longest of my life. Surely, he didn’t need to be here when I barely left the house. Instead of going to the grocery store, we had a delivery service and anything else we needed we got off Amazon. It was too hard getting around with my broken leg, crutches, and a swarm of paparazzi, so I’d made the executive decision to stay home. The only time I’d been out was to go to the doctor for my checkups. After today, I would be free to resume all activities, which was something I knew Jenner was quite excited about. I was too. I’d tried to convince my overly cautious husband I was fine, but he wasn’t going to risk hurting me. It was sweet, but after he’d started my libido, these last several weeks had been torture. I’d barely convinced him to jerk off in front of me and to let me do the same. It was torture. Absolute torture. And tonight, I was going to have him make up for all the time we’d lost.

  “Where is your good for nothing husband,” Paul hissed out as we watched a nurse walk by the room they had me in.

  “I told you he’s at an important audition.” I rolled my eyes at him. I’d told him at least five times already. Did he think I was lying, and I’d eventually slip?

  “Why don’t you call or text him and find out when he’s going to get here?”

  “Because he’s been dying for this role for months, and I’m not going to put his chance in jeopardy by bothering him. He doesn’t need to be here for me to get my cast off. It’s not like I’m expecting some life-changing news today.” Narrowing my eyes at him, I said through gritted teeth, “Jenner is not a good for nothing husband. In fact, he’s great. Just because you don’t like him doesn’t mean he’s a bad person.”

  “Right, and all those articles online are full of BS about him,” he stated in a disbelieving tone.

  I shifted in my seat so I could face him full on. I wasn’t going to take Paul’s shit anymore. There was no telling how on God’s green earth Jenner had put up with him as long as he had. They were constantly arguing. The only good thing was they stopped every time I came into the room, so I tried to stay with Jenner as much as possible. There were days where I was still tired and needed more sleep than others. Those were the days I’d wake up to them hissing at each other in hushed whispers.

  “Yes, what do you think he has Catherine for?”

  “To lie and get him out of trouble. I’ll never understand why you wanted to be a publicist so bad.” He shook his head.

  “Is that really what you think we do? We get our clients out of trouble and lie for them?” I seriously wanted to strangle him. It didn’t matter that there would be witnesses, and I might go to jail. Not that I would strangle him or that he’d let me, but it was a nice thought to keep me from yelling at him in the doctor’s office.

  “Tell me it’s not true.”

  “Maybe for some, but no, that’s not what CJJ is about. We don’t take clients who are trouble and have to bail them out continuously.” I lowered my voice just in case there were listening ears. “While Jenner has had some trouble in the past, it’s just that . . . in the past. He’s a good guy, and you’d see that if you gave him a chance. Has he done a single thing to make you think he’s a bad person the entire time you’ve been staying with us?”

  Was that why my brother had stuck around? To witness Jenner doing something shady.

  “He hasn’t, and I can see how much he loves you. Otherwise, he would have kicked my ass out weeks ago.”

  “Then stop giving him a hard time. Try getting to know him because he’s going to be in our lives for a very long time, and if you keep acting like this toward him, I won’t hesitate to cut you out of my life.”

  Paul’s eyes widened. “You’d really do that?”

  “Would you really blame me? You’ve been acting like a complete asshole for two months.” Placing my hand on his muscular forearm, I looked him straight in the eyes. “Don’t make me choose between the two of you because you won’t like my choice.”

  “Fine, I’ll lay off a little, but if he fucks up—”

  “If he fucks up, which he won’t,” I interrupted him, “he’ll have to deal with me. Why don’t you go home? I don’t need a live-in bodyguard. I’ve got Jenner if anything happens, which it won’t.”

  “That’s what they all say. Nothing has happened because I’ve been around and because you’ve been living like a hermit all these weeks. You could have gone back to the office weeks ago, you know?”

  “I know, but Catherine said I’ve been doing a great job at home, and it’s been easier.” I didn’t mention how I liked knowing I was safe at home. No one could hurt me.

  “What do you say we hit up the grocery store on the way home and pick up some food to grill for dinner? Your friend Alex and her son are coming over tonight, correct?”

  “They are,” I smiled at his change of subject. It had been nice getting to know Alex. We’d bonded after finding out Jenner had used drugs after his split with Poppy, and now we got together at least once a week when Luke was filming his show. It was hard on her when they didn’t get to see each other much, and I liked that we could help out in some way. Her son was the sweetest thing, making my ovaries ache every time I saw him. The only problem was I wasn’t sure where Jenner stood on having kids anytime soon. I knew he’d be a great dad since he was so good with Mason, and I knew he’d do everything in his power to not be like his dad.

  “Are you going to be sad when they head back to Fairlane?” Paul threw his arm around me and was back to being the big brother from my past.

  “I am, but we can always visit, and there’s always FaceTime when we can’t. Although I think she’ll have less time for me when she’s there with all her friends and Luke.”

  Paul’s smile fell. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do if your husband gets this movie role? Are you going to go with him or stay at home?”

  Jenner and I hadn’t talked about it because he was afraid if he made any plans regarding that time, he’d surely lose the part, but I’d already decided. I wasn’t going to be like Poppy. I wanted to be where he was. Why would I want to be apart for months on end? That was another reason why I’d continued to work from home. Catherine and I both agreed it would be easier, and she had no doubt in her mind, Jenner would get the part.

  There was a loud commotion out in the hallway, and then a panting Jenner stood in the doorway.

  “I didn’t miss it,” he breathed out as he came to sit beside me. Pulling me into a side hug, he kissed my temple and then nodded to Paul. “I’m so sorry I was late. The audition ran long, and then there was a wreck causing a huge traffic jam, but I’m here now.”

  “It’s fine. I know how important your audition was to you. You could have called and said you were running late.”

  He pulled out his phone from his back pocket and showed me the black screen. “My stupid phone didn’t charge last night. Can you believe that?”

  “You need to get a charger for your car.” The tone in Paul’s voice was a little less icy than how he normally spoke to Jenner, and I was grateful he was trying.

  Jenner leaned his head back against the wall. “I used to have one in there, but it went missing.”

  “When?” Paul sat forward with his hands clasped between his legs.

  Chewing on the inside of his cheek, Jenner hummed. “I’m not exactly sure. I think I saw it in there when I ran out to get buttermilk when Abbi made fried chicken.”

  Placing my hands on the seat beside me, I shifted my body so I could look at my brother. I knew something was up. “What are you thinking?”

  Scrubbing a hand over his face, Paul wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Don�
�t worry your pretty little head about it until I tell you that you need to. Just make sure you’re vigilant now that you’ll be out and about more. Both of you. It could be something or it could be nothing.”

  There was a light knock on the door before my doctor stepped inside. “How are you, Mrs. Jenner? Are you ready to get that cast off?” He nodded at the offending cast.

  “Oh, yes. Please don’t tell me I need to keep it on any longer.”

  “Your x-rays came back good. Later in the week, the physical therapy office will call you to set up a schedule. Make sure you do as they tell you, and you’ll be back to your old self in no time.”

  “I’ll make sure of it,” both Jenner and Paul said at the same time.

  I had a feeling they were going to be relentless. Both liked to work out, and I did everything in my power not to break a sweat. The only time I exercised was walking or hiking, and I’d done neither since I’d gotten back from Vegas. Now I was severely out of shape after being inactive for the last eight weeks.

  “Let’s get you up on the table, and we’ll get that cast off. How does that sound?”

  “It sounds like heaven.” I placed my hand on Jenner’s knee. “Help me up, will you?”

  “Of course.” He jumped up and had me in a bridal hold in two seconds flat before he gently set me on the table. Taking my cold hand in his large warm one, I closed my eyes as the doctor turned the drill on. “What are you doing?” Jenner asked quietly in my ear.

  “I can’t watch. I’m kind of freaked out that he’s going to cut into my leg,” I whispered back.

  “That’s not going to happen.” He chuckled against the shell of my ear.

  Still, his words didn’t relieve me. I concentrated on my hand in his and thought about how my leg wouldn’t be a barrier between us once I stepped down from the table. Heat flashed through my body at the thought of what would happen once the lights went out tonight. Hell, maybe it would be in the pool. It felt like forever since I got to dive in and feel the warm water cocoon me. I wondered if there was any way I could convince Paul to stay the night elsewhere and give Jenner and me a little alone time.